Master Class
by pandorabox82
Summary: Erin travels to Boston to find out why Alex won't return her calls any longer. Will what she finds be welcome or will it just repel them further from each other?


Erin wondered if this had really been such a great idea. While things between her and Alex had improved considerably ever since she had returned from the dead, there was still a hesitancy to their relationship, made even more profound by the way that Alex had left the BAU. And now, here she was, on a train bound for Boston and about to crash the woman's sophomore seminar. Really, it was a disaster waiting to happen, but she had to find out why Alex was no longer returning her calls.

It didn't take long for her to hail a cab, and she tried not to balk too much at the outrageous price she was quoted to get to Harvard. Settling back against the seat of the taxi, she watched the unfamiliar landscape whizz by as she tried to think about what she would say to the woman she had hoped to start considering a friend.

"We're here," the cabbie said shortly, and she shook her head, wondering how long they had been sitting in front of the quad for.

"Sorry about that, I seem to have my head in the clouds this morning. Here," she passed up a wad of cash to him before exiting the cab and taking a deep breath, adjusting how her purse sat on her shoulder before starting to cross the yard, knowing exactly where she was going. A soft smirk turned her lips up as she thought about how sometimes it paid to be friends with a technical genius, since Penelope had found out all the information she had needed.

Once she had arrived at the correct building, she quickly searched for the lecture hall, knowing approximately where it should be, but still managing to get turned around. Finally, though, she found the right door and opened it softly so as not to disturb the students.

There were two empty seats in the back, and Erin took the one closest to the aisle, setting her purse on the little table that most were using to take notes on before threading her fingers together and resting her chin on them.

Alex's voice filled the room, and she quickly fell under the spell of words that she was weaving, almost wanting to take notes herself. It was only when the student next to her handed her a tissue that she realized she was crying, and she dabbed at the tears before giving him a grateful smile. "Thanks," she whispered, only to see him shrug.

"You're welcome. Sometimes her passion overwhelms me, too." The young man gave a sigh and turned back to his notebook, furiously writing down the words that he was behind in capturing while Erin shook her head a little. It was small wonder that Alex had half of these kids in love with her, the passion and enthusiasm that she showed for her subject bleeding into every syllable she spoke.

The thirty five minutes left in the period flew by, and Erin was sad to see Alex pack up her things, only to be surrounded by a horde of students with eager faces and anxious questions. Hesitantly, Erin made her way down the stairs, making sure to stand at the back of the throng, waiting for Alex to notice her.

It was clear the moment that she did, as all the blood drained from her face. The student closest to her noticed something was off, as she reached out to touch Alex's shoulder gently, repeating the question she had asked. Alex gulped and nodded before answering, then picked up her attaché case and started for the door closest to her. Erin knew that she couldn't let this moment slip from her fingers, so she pushed through the remaining students and followed Alex into a narrow hall. "Alex! Wait!"

The woman turned and shook her head, but stopped, leaning her back against the wall as she waited for Erin to join her. "What are you doing here, Erin?"

The voice that spilled from her throat was weary, sad, confused, and scared, all things that Erin had never associated with Alex, and she wondered what was going on to produce that change in her. "I came here because my friend has stopped talking to me. I came here to find out if I had done something to upset her or make her mad at me. I came because I missed you."

Alex's face fell as she looked away from Erin. "I hate it when you use words like that. You make it so very hard not to love you." As Erin continued to watch Alex, the first few tears began to track down her face. "James left me. We were fighting all the time, and my friendship with you didn't make things any easier. He told me, before he took a new Doctors Without Borders assignment, that I needed to decide who I loved more – him or you."

Erin gasped, feeling like her heart had been pierced with an arrow, and she reached out to touch Alex's shoulder, hoping that she would look at her once more. "And have you decided?" she asked, not knowing if she really wanted to hear the answer or not.

"I think I always knew. Even back in the Academy, there was something about you that drew my attention, like a lodestone. I never wanted to feel like this, I never wanted to betray James, and yet, my heart did just that, without even kissing you first."

Erin was not prepared for the way that Alex leaned in quickly to capture her lips in a bruising kiss. And since she wasn't prepared, she wasn't able to soften for her in time, making it seem like she was not welcoming the embrace. Alex pulled away and sighed, her eyes filling with more tears as she pushed away from the wall and began to stalk off. "Lexie, stop!"

The nickname caused her to pause, but she didn't turn around this time. "What?" she bit out, and Erin sighed a little, knowing that she had put some of that pain there.

"You didn't give me a chance." Once more, she closed the distance between them, turning Alex around easily, kissing her softly. The commotion must have drawn the attraction of a few of the other professors in her department, as in the background, she could hear doors opening, then closing. "But I don't want to make a spectacle of us, of this," she murmured as she released Alex's lips from the lush kiss.

It seemed as if she had stunned the woman into silence, as all Alex could do was nod as she took hold of her hand and led her down the hallway, stopping in front of a bare office door. Reading her thoughts, Alex said lowly, "I haven't quite grown into my role here. There aren't any articles that I want to share, or at least, not ones that are pertinent to linguistics."

Erin nodded as Alex unlocked the door, letting them into her inner sanctum. Instantly, the welcome scent of ink and old paper overwhelmed her senses, and Erin smiled as she took a seat in the plush chair across from Alex's desk. "This is so very you, though," she couldn't help but murmur as Alex closed the door, shutting them away from the world outside.

"I had hoped to make an intimate space for me, somewhere I could go to think."

"You hit the nail on the head." Taking a closer look at Alex's desk, she smiled to see pictures of Spencer, and Penelope, and James at the forefront. But next to the monitor, she was surprised to see a small photo of herself, smiling tenderly at the camera. She recognized the setting as Jennifer's wedding a few years back, and she wondered where Alex had gotten the picture from.

"Penelope was kind enough to send that to me, when I asked. I realized that I didn't have anything of you in here, and I wanted that to change," Alex said lowly as she sat down in her office chair, wheeling close to her. "At first, I thought that I was just in a funk, that I couldn't get used to having James so close, and so I started to imagine a relationship where there was none. Our letters were perfect, and I read into them more than I should have. And then, when our phone calls became too much, I ended them, in hopes that I could focus on my marriage. It didn't work, either, and I was becoming content with being alone. Until you showed up today and upset the apple cart."

Erin gave her a small smile before reaching out and tugging the chair closer to her. "I didn't mean to do that, Alex."

"Lexie. I like hearing that drop from your lips."

A soft blush spread across Erin's face and down her chest as she nodded. "All right, Lexie. I just missed talking to my friend. I could tell that things were becoming strained between us, and I thought that it was something that I had done. And I regretted that I had done something to push you away once more."

She was more prepared for Alex this time, and so Erin dug her fingers into the woman's hair as she kissed her hungrily. The naked desire evident in that buss had her panting with desire when it had ended, and she wondered if her skin was as flushed as Alex's, if her pupils were as dilated. And then, she lost all time to think as Alex was kissing her once more, softer this time, as if she had found an answer to a question she hadn't been brave enough to ask.

"I have another class this afternoon, so I won't be able to steal away with you. And I cannot have you sitting in again. Knowing that you're there will just drive me to distraction. Would you mind waiting for me at home? I want to talk to you."

"Talk to me or kiss me senseless?" Erin teased, enjoying the blush that sprang to Alex's cheeks.

"Well, we'd have to see where things lead," she rather primly replied, and Erin laughed before kissing her once more. "And who is the one doing the kissing now?"

"I am, since I rather like the feel of your lips on mine. I shouldn't, you know."

"Why? Because we've always coded as straight?" Erin nodded. "Desire and love are mutable, changing to fit our situation, sort of like languages. And my heart is speaking a language that is both familiar and new. I'd like to take some time to study the newness of this language between us, if I may."

Erin felt lighter than she had in months, and she nodded a little before kissing Alex once more. "I would like to explore that as well. If I'm to wait for you, though, I'll need a key."

"Of course," Alex replied, wheeling back over to her desk to rummage around in her purse. Erin watched her slip the house key off the ring before handing it over. "I'm trusting you to keep this safe."

"Of course. And Lexie?"

"Yes?" she asked, her face soft and dreamy, so open to Erin that she could read every emotion that crossed over it.

"I'm really glad that I came here today. I was hoping that you would talk to me, I wasn't expecting this."

Alex looked down at her lap as a wide smile curved her lips up. "I would never have expected this as well, though it is not unwelcome. Thank you for choosing me."

Confusion wrinkled Erin's brow, and she reached out to cup Alex's chin, bringing her face up so that she could look into the woman's eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I tried to push you away, and you sought me out. That's more than I can say for the others, even though we still talk sporadically via email and texts. Out of everyone in my world, you thought I was worth chasing, and that endears you to me." They shared another kiss as Erin slipped the key into her jacket pocket.

"I'm glad to be dear to someone," she murmured as they rested their foreheads together to catch their breaths. "And I'll be counting the minutes until you get home. I might even make myself useful and make supper for us. I seem to have picked up a few tricks from my time with David."

"That sounds wonderful," Alex replied, and they stood up together. Erin let her eyes flutter closed as Alex drew her into a tight hug. "I'll see you soon, and yet, not soon enough." All Erin could do was nod in response, unable to speak the words that were in her heart, knowing that they would come out when the time was right. After all, she had a person who could teach a master class in learning to speak the many languages of love.


End file.
